PT Middle School evacuated due to threat

Published Mar 22, 2013 at 11:18 am
(Updated Mar 22, 2013 at 2:18 pm)

Peters Township Police Department determined that a threat at 10:15 a.m. March 22 at Peters Township Middle School was a prank. Students were evacuated to McMurray Elementary School and the district’s bus garage, township police said. A message found on multiple calculators in the school indicated that a bomb would detonate at 10:40 a.m., said police Chief Harry Fruecht.

The building was searched by emergency personnel, and two dogs from Pittsburgh and one dog from Mercer County also searched the building, police said.

Most students remained at McMurray Elementary for the remainder of the school day.

An email from Peters Township Middle School Principal Dr. Bob Freado, stated that, “Pranks of this nature are taken very seriously and will not be tolerated. We will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.”

Freado also asked that any students or parents who have information related to the prank call district principals.

Fruecht said police and school district officials would work on a master plan for evacuation because when the middle school students arrived at McMurray Elementary, there was extreme crowding.

“It worked, but this was a mess,” Fruecht told members of township council during a meeting March 25.

Plans are being made to construct man-traps in all district buildings, Fruecht said. A man-trap is when there are two sets of doors that can be activated to trap an individual between the doors.

Fruecht said the protocol on how to handle a threat depends on how the threat is received. He said there is good cooperation between the district and police.